Ben Franklin affect: Adversary to Supporter

When Ben Franklin sought to transform an adversary into a supporter, he turned to an unusual approach. He later described it in his autobiography as an old maxim.

Franklin wished to befriend or at least neutralize this adversary, so Ben asked him for a favor — to borrow a rare book. The adversary sent it, and Franklin returned it a week later with a note expressing his gratitude. When they next spoke, it was with great civility, a departure from their previous encounters. In time, they became lifelong friends.

He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged — Ben Franklin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

If you read over the snippet about Franklin’s original request, you might notice the second factor at play. It wasn’t just a favor that he asked; it was a special kind, one that probably evoked a feeling of pride in his adversary.
Franklin’s adversary took great pride in his rare book collection. By asking to borrow from it, Franklin validated his adversary’s passion. He implicitly stated, “You have excellent taste and judgment in books.”
That kind of validation generates warmth and appreciation. It’s hard to avoid liking someone who compliments you on your excellence, passion, or taste.

1. Learn about the people you wish to befriend
Pay attention to the subtle clues people drop in their conversations. What skills do they pride themselves in? What passions do they pursue? Ask questions to learn more about their likes and interests. Pay attention to the things they speak of most. You’ll discover what’s important to them.

2. Ask for a targeted favor
Ask for a favor that’s easy to deliver but meaningful for you to receive. Don’t put someone in an uncomfortable position. Never ask someone to do you a favor when you should be paying them for their work. That’s a surefire strategy to make you unlikable.

3. The gratitude sandwich
Always express gratitude once the favor completes. Start with a sincere thank you. Include a sentence about how it benefitted you or what it meant to you. Sandwich it with a closing, thank you.
“Thank you for getting us into that restaurant. It was an unforgettable evening. My partner can’t stop talking about it. Thanks again. I appreciate your help.”
Avoid saying something like, I owe you one, or I’ll make it up to you. That makes it transactional. Friends do things for each other out of kindness; they don’t enter into transactions.

Someone said Didn't agree with Obama, but Respected

I wouldn't say they respected Obama. 

I disagreed on a lot of things, but he was most certainly more of a gentleman than what we have now.

My my the howl we heard, the character assassinations..Total disrespect. After all, he is black, you know, and a lot of the disrespect came from people who don't particularly like black..

Of course a lot of that howl was led by the right wing commentators , talk hosts, Trumpites....

The saddest thing is that a terrific - good thought - initiative of Obama's was lost, diluted, washed away in all the howl and particularly in the bickering about Obamacare. 

I do so wish the media would go back in and identify that,initiative, let it be known.

What was that initiative? Obama felt that too many black men were not being the fathers they should, and wanted to work to reverse that situation.  Sort of like those two movies made by the consortium in Albany Georgia (Courageous and Fireproof). Worth getting ahold of. 

Soon after Obama was in office I saw huge stand up displays in my primary care waiting room of the HMO I use. The displays explained fully what the need was, not in initiative language but in urging men to be better men and fathers, giving them ideas, inspiriting them,. giving them direction to resources.

So why are not "conservatives" remembering this?  Because they are not true to the label they adopt. They are not true conservatives  That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

From Chaplain Jason Olson - no go back

Growing up as a Jewish child in America, I was once told by an Irish Catholic schoolmate not that I should “go back” to Eastern Europe where my ancestors emigrated from, but that I should “go back” to the gas chambers.

“Go back” is language we should not be using in 21st century America.

Stakes in the Ground, and a Populist's Grandfather

Thomas Jaworek is the conservative mayor of Kallstadt Germany, where Friedrich was born and then left as a teenager. The mayor said that if our president were to visit, he hoped he would at least leave Kallstadt with a changed view on migration, citizenship AND BELONGING. After all, Friedrich was a migrant. 

Born in 1869 into a modest family that ran a small vineyard, Friedrich initially worked in a barbershop in a neighboring town. But opening his own barbershop in Kallstadt proved difficult. There already was a barber in town. Friedrich was also expected under German law to serve in the military for some time.

“The stifling lack of opportunity in the village seemed to close in on him. Without any apparent opportunity for a better life, he saw what lay ahead was dreary, difficult, and poor,” author Gwenda Blair wrote. “He seemed to have no choice but to leave."

The 16-year-old found his escape by migrating to the United States, where he arrived in 1885.

He later came back and married a Kallstadt local, Elizabeth Christ, but eventually returned to the United States. Local authorities considered him to be a draft dodger.

My Mother's immigrant German ancestor did a similar thing. As soon as he was naturalized in Wisconsin, he made a beeline back to Germany and brought back an apparent sister, within a month. He had also left that land due to the military requirement that he didn't want. (I am told that while there, his wife - descendant of an early American Culver Pilgrim - bore twins in a situation we know nothing about.)

More than a century on, one of his grandsons is pursuing a hard-line immigration policy that — if it had been in place in the 1880s — would have likely disqualified Friedrich from staying in the United States.

Now, after his racist tweets targeting four critical minority lawmakers, some residents said he is not welcome and that even his distant link to the town is a source of embarrassment. Beatrix Riede, 61, who heads an association for women in the town, said, “I can only wish Americans that they will elect someone who turns on his mind before saying something,”

t's about stakes in the ground, and our attitude, now that we are here.

About Stakes in the ground, and Immigrant Grandfathers

The Kampf GGF of my children's mother, like the GGF ancestor of my mother - and like Friedrich of my earlier post - was an immigrant from Germany, coming in the 1800's into the US speaking a different language and with different customs.  The reception was not squeaky perfect, but they worked through it in an atmosphere more tolerant to "more people".

I loved Tony, a retired UofW professor, who - in retirement, was making violin bows. Tony came as a child with his father from Italy, and spoke of being dirt poor; no socks, hardly any food, woefully inadequate abode.

I asked him how he got to be a professor from that situation.

He said he and those like him were shunned and beat upon a bit by the English speaking kids from families that were already here.  (Some would say "they had a stake in the ground already.") So?  So he bore down and studied, studied, studied. That's all he could do. No TV...  Tony was a very fine man, a friendly but refined air about him, who taught and uplifted a great many people.

He didn't come to our country with the credentials or criteria that Steven Miller is driving his country's government to establish for people to be allowed to immigrant.

I'd add, as noted in a post about Ellis Island in 1909, that in that year, they were allowed in without visas or any paperwork at all. They just had to get here and step off the boat.

Yes, there is a reason for all things.  And there is unreasonable, too.  We need to be aware of the human elements of history, and of people who did HUGE things for, or in, this country who came from laughable origins. History of most any era of the USA shows that some, without any potential evident up front, have gone on to do HUGE things, leading to giant steps in advancement of technology, health, culture....

It's about stakes in the ground, and our attitude, now that we are here.

Thinking about Word of Wisdom, and being wise about it.

This, written on facebook as a comment on the following:
https://hiracumorah.org/2019/07/01/misunderstandings-regarding-the-word-of-wisdom/

Ah, the wisdom part! You are very brave in your assessment, and I think you bring out the wisdom part which satisfies a great need. Love the way you expressed it.
There are many things that are not written in that scripture, yet it remains our reference even when insisting upon many things that are not written therein and ignoring things that are written.
Context is really important in so many things, and I think the Savior, when traveling physically on this earth, brought the context alive in many things... OK, call it the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law.
Moderation in all things. That thing that was in common dialogue when I joined the Church in the '70s, but isn't spoken much now. (Many things are that way.)
I will add a comment that may not be popular with the letter of the law people.

Green tea - in moderation of course - is known unargumentative as a healthy thing, and it does not alter the mental state.Strictly as a matter of discussion, when you do a lot of research on gout, and on kidney issues, you may find that a SMALL amount of coffee will help the kidney discharge Uric acid. (The issues of uric acid need to be known, visit an assisted living or other old folks adobe.)

At 79, I don't presently take prescription medicine (i.e., chemicals) and don't smile broadly with friends who do all what, and only what, doctors say... won't do anything until talking to the doctor... I've seen too much damage among my broad and close extended family and friends.
To continue: much coffee is of course destructive, in the physical sense. Some believe that caffeine, without being within a roasted* bean product, has relative acceptability. I couldn't argue with that. Moderation. 

*roasted: Inflammation and irritation is identified with likelihood of a part of our body becoming cancerous. Charred foods, etc. are part of that picture. I am glad to now know it. I am a 14 year big C survivor; it was stage 3.

Soft drinks. I diverge from you. There are a few of us who have learned that soft drinks, ESPECIALLY without moderation, are really bad for the gut and for the urinary system. I used to indulge significantly - before my surgery (colon, and later, bladder). A manager warned of his own experience. I am happy to be without ANY soft drinks. It just simply, and definitely, is not worth it. 
NOT all of us are the same, but why push it? Later more than sooner it must might have an affect on our self sufficiency and resilience; ability to get along sometime without close attendance and chemicals.. Natural laws of God. That's my story, sticking with it. No, I am not a W.O.W. fanatic. But I do think.

How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked

The late LeGrand Baker (not related), a well-written professor of ancient scripture, produced a 770 page book as one of his works. I have a copy, as well as a PDF. His ideas were very inspiring and revealing to me, although not universally accepted. I'm sure he comes from a Judaic background to be Christ based in the way few do.

No, I haven't ever gotten through all of the book. Read and listened to much (with a text to speech app while exercising or walking). It has laid on my living room table.

The other day, I felt inspired to open it. As oft happens in study, it opened to a section never read but most inspiring; it made me think of current events in this world. I'd like to share a trimmed up version of what I read. The last few paragraphs are the meat of it, but the sequence is necessary.

Psalms 82 (A Psalm of Asaph.)
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
***How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? ***Selah.
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
**I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.**
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Another scripture:
“God saw these souls [the noble and great ones] that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers.” There he was standing and judging or choosing.

How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?

The Hebrew reads simply “the wicked.” The Tanakh, which is the official Jewish translation of the Old Testament, renders this verse as “How long will you judge perversely, showing favor to the wicked?”

That is the pivotal question upon which everyone’s salvation ultimately turns. It is about prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance. As soon as we arrive in this world, ***no matter what human culture we arrive in***,

that culture teaches us that some people are better than others, so favor should be shown to those with political prestige, money, education, expensive toys, “correct” cultural preferences, and “appropriate” lifestyle. It does not matter whether they are better because they have ten cows rather than just two, or whether they have a huge house rather than a simple one. The principle is the same—and that idea that some people are better than others—says God in these instructions to his children, is the misconception they must first correct in themselves, and **then reject altogether**.

One does not judge people by their appearances or by their prestige.... There could have been no question about the implications of that command.

The Law was explicit:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18).

A visit - Rev. Teal and Elder Holland...

Texted text from  https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900043476/at-oxford-elder-holland-lays-out-latter-day-saint-theology-before-religious-scholars-students.html is re-ordered by me to make a better story in my view; the story of explaining with respect and listening with respect.  No statement or fact is added or changed.

At Oxford, Elder Holland lays out Latter-day Saint theology before religious scholars, students

They stood between old stone walls on creaking wooden floors before a full room of 50 theology faculty and students, the public and local Latter-day Saints. 
The room once housed the first library at Oxford (England), the oldest university in the English-speaking world. 

The beginnings of University Church date back more than 1,000 years.  Methodist founder John Wesley preached here.  Three Protestant leaders were burned at the stake here after a "theological conversation" at the 1,000-year-old University Church of St. Mary the Virgin in 1555.

On this November day in 2018, Rev. Dr. Andrew Teal, chaplain and lecturer at Pembroke College and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a 90-minute conversation which ended with the two having a warm embrace.

Rev. Teal said: "We are both determined to be aware that our history should not collapse into categories in which we label each other as distant."

Elder Holland agreed: "We've let some differences, significant differences, get in the way of a larger, warmer, wonderful conversation."

He praised Rev. Teal, who told the Deseret News that he has watched many of his new friend's talks online, for his preparation, saying he already knew more about Latter-day Saint theology than many of the faith's members.

I find him a wholesome, faithful and inspiring man," Rev. Teal told the Deseret News, "indeed, 'great' but lacking all pomposity of grandeur." 

"We need each other’s eyes to see ourselves," he said.

"Might it be possible to listen carefully, attentively and respectfully, to ask questions with integrity and intellectual honesty of one another, without defensiveness or tribalism?"

My hot air about genocides and our point of view

Interesting. I....I just have to say that is ideal. That the everyone is susceptible to the spirit and guidance by it, and therefore instead of being controlled by law, their good hearts are guided in the right direction. Unfortunately, the adversary is always hard at work, and what percentage is guided by the spirit, and what percentage thinks they are but really put the other things above it in a self serving way. That just brought it back to the starting point.

My reading travels tonight took me to deep dive into the Cambodian situation of the '70s. During the time, there a lot of confusing things going on, and now it is clear. I was bouncing between being on a carrier on Yankee Station at that time, and beng back in the states on a land base causing too many things to happen domestically. (Looking back, it was what it was.) With connection of later on, Vietnam got rid of Poi Pot and Khmer Rouge (think killing fields). I've known Cambodian refugees from that time. Then I come to a good article of the start of the Vietnam war. I was in a poor man's Italian restaurant one day when the Italians showed me a newspaper with the event that was excuse for Johnson releasing the brakes on warfare, and "the rest is history". My best friend has authored four books on the RVN war, but didn't capture it quite in that conclusive manner, more like a thousand data details.

On the Wikipedia sidebars are links to dozens of accounts of genocide, some of which I knew about, and also many things surrounding the "Indian Removal".and the situation of Mexico getting the Southwest, then our government pushing them our. Holy smokes, what a lotta!!!! I had known and/or learned about many things that weren't in the schoolbooks or TV documentaries. But it's been a sick, sick world.

YES: "Scripture has, I think, a clear answer for us as believers." Keywords: "for us as believers". Virtually the only and best thing we can do is make more people believers, but the problem is that many who claim to be don't really care deeply about the other folks who are children of God; they/we don't want to sacrifice in the way we learn in the temple, for the benefit of the other children. So we have all these wars, we stick our noses around, and we fuss about borders and DACA. We are nicy nice people, relatively comfortable, and want to be. Scriptures on the table. The scriptures aren't the problem. We are..

Oh how I wish for.... the Lord would like us to be.... "truly ethical society, each individual is led by their conscience and their conscience alone, not rhetoric.

Not rally bullhorns and name calling. No football field inhabited by kool aid drinkers on both ends.

This is hugely long, which I despise. My apology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_Killing_Fields

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_removal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Genocide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_transfer_in_the_Soviet_Union#The_Great_Patriotic_War,_1941-1945

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_the_Crimean_Tatars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Bangladesh_genocide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_genocide

https://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-britain-us-diego-garcia-20180814-story.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Diego-Garcia-island-Indian-Ocean

http://ifg.org/2016/05/03/diego-garcia-50-years-of-fiction-about-an-american-military-base/

Trump and Melania

Validity:  Who knows

http://www.pollhype.com/melania-trumps-shocking-secret-past/

Although Melania and her father never publically acknowledge him, the first lady has a half-brother named Denis Cigelnjak. She even once denied his existence and later flip-flopped her comment when a reporter proved it with court papers.

Speaking of her family, Melania's father - Viktor Knavs - was a listed member of the League of Communists. Wonder why she never talks about that...

Whether they have separate beds or their own rooms, as it's been reported, a family source said "she is not interested in Donald, the presidency or anything involving him."
When asked about her own opinions and what she tells Donald, Melania only shares what she thinks with him. "Nobody knows and nobody will ever know," she said.

Perhaps having close to nothing in her bank account when she met Donald plays no part in their relationship, but it seems fishy. "She ran into Donald just at the right time," a friend of hers told the New York Post. "She was just about out of money, at the end of her rope and about to move back to Eastern Europe."

Raunchy radio host Howard Stern once asked Melania Trump a list of degrading questions, like "Are you naked?" She replied by saying "almost" and went on to detail her and Donald's intimacy.

Donald Trump is 24 years older than Melania, meaning she is actually closer in age to his son Donald Jr., who is only 8 years younger than her.
Melania refers to her and Donald's son, Barron, as "Little Donald" and claims that he's his father's biggest fan. Melania, however, strangely preferred Donald to stay away from their son. "I didn’t want him to change the diapers or put Barron to bed," Melania said.

Throughout her modeling career, Melania participated in some pretty racy photo shoots. She's even posed in the nude - what a lovely story to tell as the first lady.

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/donald-trump-melania-trump-knauss-first-lady-erections
Want jet-set chic? Then sex, style and 18-carat gold seat belts are essential. Supermodel Melania [now Mrs Donald Trump] is the launch pad for 14 pages of high living.

http://www.lifedaily.com/story/17-most-stunning-melania-trump-photos-on-the-web/2/

Russia and white house - thoughts

Stimulated by www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38966846

I think that for people who follow government antics and form political opinions (we hope the are not polarized opinions but most of them seem to be, increasingly, even among those whose religious teachings say otherwise) it's valuable to look at and consider a variety of viewpoints and "news"'sources, definitely not limiting to "news" from the FAR right or FAR left goalposts of the football field.

Did you make it thru that sentence?

BBC news exhibits to me pretty straight arrow fact, very thorough in nature, low expression of opinion, and combing every corner of the entire world for good detailed info. To call BBC fake news or favoring that which you don't want to hear would be quite unfair and destructive to reasonable viewpoints. My acquaintance with far and deep teachings of BBC started with being around a respectable BBC gentleman in Kazan Russia and on the trip out, in 1990. Increasingly I go to the BBC New app for deeper understanding of many past or present goings on in many nations around the world, even in my own country. Things and places which I have had light brushes with, on the ground in many countries and/or with acquaintances and histories from nations within those countries.

Did you know there is a difference between nation and country?

So... I think this article is a good level layout of information.

When I was in Russia, I built on love of Russian people as a people, mainly Tatars.. At the same time, I heard and understood the great distrust of and abuse from those I would loosely call the Putin types. Communists, atheists, who would not believe that those of their national system had ever done anything wrong. (Think atrocities in White Russia and the Ukraine.) And our group was definitely being watched with assigned "observers"

.(Today, people's likewise don't believe the person who has the Loudest Voice In The Room and childishly Twitter's early every morning could do anything wrong, or they don't care.)

It still seems recent that we were aware that there were sleeper cells and individuals inserted by that huge country into ours, and some stated concern that the previous AGOP president, followed by our first black president, were part of a plan to let our County become an appendage of Russia (or China, or some Arab country). The Tea Partiers were making the most (worst) over Obama's striking some rapport with Putin. I didn't see the issue in that that I see now.

I am very disappointed at our county-s leader seeming to have so many questionable defenses of Putin's brand of Russia,, and having so many around him who have those connections. Count them!

Again, my apprehension isn't about Russians as a people, although Putin and trends have made more of the populace turn back toward Russian Nationalism than I think it was in 1991 -'more than I heard on the ground then.

To Elderly Church Members

From Teachings of ... Benson

https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson/chapter-16-the-elderly-in-the-church

May we suggest eight areas in which we can make the most of our senior years:

1. Work in the temple and attend often. 

We urge all who can to attend the temple frequently and accept calls to serve in the temple when health and strength and distance will permit.

2. Collect and write family histories. We call on you to pursue vigorously the gathering and writing of personal and family histories. In so many instances, you alone have within you the history, the memory of loved ones, the dates and events. In some situations you are the family history.

3. Become involved in missionary service.  You are able to perform missionary service in ways that our younger missionaries cannot.

4. Provide leadership by building family togetherness.  call your families together. Give leadership to family gatherings. Establish family reunions where fellowship and family heritage can be felt and learned. Some of the sweetest memories I have are of our own family reunions and gatherings. Foster wonderful family traditions which will bind you together eternally.

5. Accept and fulfill Church callings. We trust that all senior members who possibly can will accept callings in the Church and fulfill them with dignity. How we need the counsel and influence of you who have walked the pathway of life! We hope that priesthood and auxiliary leaders will continue to give the elderly callings in which they can use their reservoirs of wisdom and counsel. Church leaders should prayerfully seek the Spirit in helping members meet the needs of the elderly.

Plan for your financial future. We also advise caution in cosigning financial notes, even with family members, when retirement income might be jeopardized.  Be even more cautious in advancing years about “get-rich” schemes, mortgaging homes, or investing in uncertain ventures. Proceed cautiously so that the planning of a lifetime is not disrupted by one or a series of poor financial decisions.

7. Render Christlike service. Christlike service exalts. Knowing this, we call on all senior members who are able to thrust in their sickles in service to others. This can be part of the sanctifying process.

8. Stay physically fit, healthy, and active. We are thrilled with the efforts being made by so many of the elderly to ensure good health in advancing years. …

elderly parents and grandparents

It is important that families give their elderly parents and grandparents the love, care, and respect they deserve.
Now for a few minutes may I speak to the families of the elderly. We repeat a scripture from Psalms: “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” (Psalm 71:9).

We encourage families to give their elderly parents and grandparents the love, care, and attention they deserve. Let us remember the scriptural command that we must care for those of our own house lest we be found “worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8). I am so grateful for my own dear family and for the loving care they have given their parents over so many years.

Remember that parents and grandparents are our responsibility, and we are to care for them to the very best of our ability. When the elderly have no families to care for them, priesthood and Relief Society leaders should make every effort to meet their needs in the same loving way. We submit a few suggestions to families of the elderly.

Ever since the Lord etched the Ten Commandmentsinto the tablets of stone, His words from Sinai have echoed down through the centuries to “honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).

To honor and respect our parents means that we have a high regard for them. We love and appreciate them and are concerned about their happiness and well-being. We treat them with courtesy and thoughtful consideration. We seek to understand their point of view. Certainly obedience to parents’ righteous desires and wishes is a part of honoring.

Furthermore, our parents deserve our honor and respect for giving us life itself. Beyond this they almost always made countless sacrifices as they cared for and nurtured us through our infancy and childhood, provided us with the necessities of life, and nursed us through physical illnesses and the emotional stresses of growing up. In many instances, they provided us with the opportunity to receive an education, and, in a measure, they educated us. Much of what we know and do we learned from their example. May we ever be grateful to them and show that gratitude.

Let us also learn to be forgiving of our parents, who, perhaps having made mistakes as they reared us, almost always did the best they knew how. May we ever forgive them as we would likewise wish to be forgiven by our own children for mistakes we make.

Those who are blessed with a closeness to grandparents and other elderly people have a rich companionship and association.

We also hope that you would include the elderly in family activities when possible. What a joy it is for us to see lively, sweet grandchildren with a loving grandparent in the midst of them. Children love such occasions. They love to have their grandparents visit them and to have them over for dinner, for family home evenings, and for other special events. This provides opportunities for teaching ways to honor, love, respect, and care for those who are in their later years.

Grandparents can have a profound influence on their grandchildren.

The Critical Need of True Leadership

I think "leadership" is such an important thing and can make organizations, or break organizations and whatever else is around to break.

The impact of it all comes into my mind increasingly each and every year of my (short?) life. Especially seeing the gone-wrong political candidacy, resulting in a childish drunk driver in government. 

I think that true leadership is a very critical and little known thing. 

Leadership is not just directing; it is not just being a whiz kid at something and telling others what to do.  The first thing too many think of is "now I am the boss, and need to take hold briskly".  

Yes, it does include managing the fabric of the group, identifying goals, bringing needed relevant information to the group, facilitating the operations, basic decisions of organizational and prudent financial management, etc. Managing people, with their differences of experience and basic nature. 

All that while recognizing and respecting that some of those people know things, principles, and methods the manager doesn't. And maybe the manager need not know those things; just respect that the follower does.

True leadership helps the followers become NOT JUST doers of that tasks they are directed to do (and the detailed way the leader thinks it must be done); not just becoming competent, but also confident. Not just obedience, and not just asking "how high" when told to jump. Inspiration, motivation, respect, and human growth potential is all part of the equation.

A sector of Covey's Eight Habit deals with our responsibility each of us to help others grow, in their decision making confidence, to grow spiritually, and to grow in competence, confidence, and ability to THEMSELVES (as followers of said leader) to lead others. Every man, woman, and child has an immense potential (and is a leader by example and performance) and has a God-given responsibility to help uplift tlhat in others, toward and in an eternal growth upward perspective.....  

Over the years I have  lived, I have seen so many promoted in accordance with the Peter principle(**see paragraph below**). The person has a great deal of competence in some area: technical, influential speaking, inspirational, bossiness, or... simply given a pot of money and silver spoon to play with.  (Seen that in recent times?)  But they haven't learned to delegate the thinking power, they haven't learned to develop (other than to say, "I'm the Boss, and if you just do what I say, you will be OK, this and that is what I want you to do.")

The Peter principle ... published in 1969... states that the selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate's performance in their current role, rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role. [In my years of observation, we should add  "; a role of  leadership, management, etc." because there is where the big difference is; help people in their upward progress, or destroy them. ]

If you've been promoted, selected, elected, or called as a leader, one of the greatest gifts you can give - to yourself, to the organization, to the followers, and to mankind in general, is to decide you need to learn about how to be the best leader. Go, learn; many sources. Here are two THIN books with the right message  - in title and in content: (1) "Pushing Up People", and (2) "The Leadership Pill: the missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today".

A good leader inspires, motivates, encourages someone to think, to be their very best, to serve with all their heart, mind and strength. 
A good leader trains his/her replacement to be a leader. [How? Think about it.] 
"Hire a good man, and get out of his way."  
Another expression (if you know the initials "JS") is to teach them correct principles, and let them manage themself.  No, that is not a 100% thing, but the principle...

Things don't have to be exactly the way your genius mind or whatever has imagined.  Work toward the desired outcome, the results.  

That's where the value of a book that had a favorite comes in: "Getting to Yes".  It's about there are more than one way to get the desired result, and if someone has a different way of doing that, the best manager will thank the person and respect it, maybe use it.  (You encourage growth and uplift, right there and then!) That does not take away from the leader's or manager's position; it uplifts the position, in a spiritual sense.

Have I done this, can/have I practiced what I preach? 

Yes, I have managed a few great groups, although not in my writing career. One always comes in mind: a great group in the Navy, at Whidbey Island, who knew what they were doing, reported what they were doing, and did it in the best way; they just looked for the fabric of the group to be held together in a cohesive manner, and information and guidance if and when needed. They were happy to report, sometimes sharing proudly. Another was keeping organized a great group who uplifted others and each other, in a spiritual sense, on the Kitty Hawk. And some other times.  After the USN, most of my time (nearly 40 years) was writing, and the Peter Principle never got me into management.

My best three managers were in telecom.  In common, they asked how I would approach a problem (a need).  Then, after that, they would just ask that I would review what I was doing, the progress, what was going on, they just listened, primarily with ears open and mouth closed. Good listening......

And... very importantly... they ASKED is there anything they can do to remove roadblocks?  Oh, how sweet that was. In tech writing, road blocks are found in very great abundance. At times, they displayed the needed humility a leader should have by learning from me in my developed area of understanding. Those good three managers didn't operate as if they had all the answers, as if they were the innovators, as if they knew everything, as if they had so much pride and "I am the Boss" that you couldn't tell them anything.

It was really really great working for them. Great, good things were done. 
The biggest issues have always been ego, territorialism, and competition - but not between those managers and myself.

True leadership is based on the spiritual nature of mankind, who were created in the image of God, according to the good book. There was a Covey book that was popular in the '70s: "Spiritual Roots of Human Behavior".  One that I liked a bit better but didn't sell as well because it didn't have "Spiritual" or something like that in the title, is "Leadership and Human Relations".  But it dealt with marriage/human relationships, leadership, decision-making with real good feet on the ground approach, understanding our spiritual nature - the way God made us - at least as well as that other one.  Again, though, Covey's Eighth has that section and is still in the bookstores - I think.

Good Leaders are Good Followers

This is nothing new. There are a number of articles, and may web references referring to one or two of those articles.  So mainly this is a collection of links to good articles.

One that can be my favorite is a Homily By Father James C. Meena.  It comes from Word Magazine October 1984.   http://almoutran.com/2011/03/466.  After decades of time in the military, workforce, organizations, observance of certain "political" figures, and with certain family members, I have come up with some particular points that I like to see acknowledged. There is much dialog about (correct) lofty leadership ideals, such as inspiring confidence, knowing clearly where the organization is going, never losing sight of goals, etc.

But I have seen many persons in leadership or management positions basically due to the "Peter Principle"; there was a lot about that in the 1960's or so; there is much found on the web about it yet.  Essentially it is that a person can impress and dazzle people in one context but not really have the ability or traits needed for the intended role. As people are promoted, they become progressively less-effective because good performance in one job does not guarantee similar performance in another. Or maybe it's simply that a person can dazzle as a worker and innovator but doesn't know beans about leadership.

I think a couple buzz words that could sum things up are "autocratic" and "authoritative" about some leaders who lead pretty much by virtual of position; "I am the boss" but there can be much more to a truly good leader. 

The following paragraph area (from the URL at the start of this writing) scratches my particular itch well; it speaks of something that is sometimes missing.

A good leader is one who is slow to judge others, quick to evaluate and criticize himself in order that he might benefit from his own self analysis and improve himself constantly. A good leader is one who listens to constructive criticism and who hears honest complaints and evaluates them with good judgment in order that he might apply that which is positive and affirmative to the attainment of the goals to which he is dedicated. A good leader is one who remembers that without followers he has no one to lead; therefore, he shows respect for his followers.

 Moving on, there is this article:  https://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader. 

The below except the italicized parts are some extracts
:
“[Good followers] support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader–having the courage to let the leader know when he or she is doing something wrong or headed in the wrong direction.”


When good followers encounter a co-worker with conflicting ideas or a disagreeable manager, they’re probably not going to fight every battle. Playing the part of the follower is easier, simpler, and often less risky. But being a good follower means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader, manager, or superior, is doing something wrong-headed. That’s not always easy, but it requires the guts and strength of conviction that are essential to good leadership.

In order to be a good follower, you need to be able to think for yourself. The best followers support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is headed in the wrong direction.

Many of the same qualities that we admire in leaders–competence, motivation, intelligence–are the same qualities that we want in the very best followers. Moreover, leaders, regardless of their level, also need to follow.

There is a book on my shelf written by an x-GI about experiences through two or three military conflicts. The author speaks of need of quick definite decisions, yes. But he speaks of having had a couple junior officers in charge who made planning decisions and wouldn't listen to experience, resulting in unnecessary loss of life and achievement. I've reported to a couple officers like that, a couple others who knew they might need to learn something about the specific turf, and to senior officers who really did know what they were doing and were wonderful. 

I reported to one leader in the corporate environment who took his crew on a service afternoon in a food bank.  The food bank person in charge gave me specific instructions; take these things to this particular place.  But the corporate leader gave me specific conflicting instructions; it was not his role to do so, but he had not caught on to the fact that he was giving orders outside his appropriate environment.

Moving on:   http://www.planetshifter.com/node/1695
A good list of qualities and factors.

This one ties into some biblical examples and principles:  https://michaelhyatt.com/why-the-best-leaders-are-great-followers.html

 This one summarizes a great talk given in the LDS realm.  http://www.gcgems.com/2016/08/the-greatest-leaders-are-the-greatest-followers-stephen-w-owen.html

Unrighteous Dominion D&C 121

 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

 35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

 36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

 37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

 38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

 39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

 40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.

 41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

 42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

 43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

 44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

 45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

Workplace/Business, Gender, Organization non-specific

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1989/07/unrighteous-dominion

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/09/avoiding-unrighteous-dominion

https://www.lds.org/liahona/1990/06/unrighteous-dominion-in-marriage

"In almost every situation in which correction is required, private reproof is superior to public reproof. Unless the whole ward is in need of a reprimand, it is better …  to speak to the individual rather than to use the collective approach. Similarly, a child or spouse has the right to be told privately of mistakes. Public correction is often cruel or at the least misguided."   

        By Elder H. Burke Peterson  Of the First Quorum of the Seventy 1990

https://bycommonconsent.com/2010/09/20/courage-revelation-and-unrighteous-dominion/

https://mormonhub.com/forums/topic/6568-what-is-unrighteous-dominion/

https://www.families.com/blog/unrighteous-dominion-spouse-to-spouse-parent-to-child-child-to-parent

Today's administration: the Whites and the Blacks of it.

Tim Wise
6 hrs ·
Pandering to white workng folks post-election is fascinating. When white people are hurting economically we're supposed to feel their pain and "bring the jobs back" to their dying rural towns. But when people of color lack jobs in the cities (in large part because of the decline of manufacturing over 40 plus years, as well as discrimination) we tell them to "move," to go to school and gain new skills, and we lecture them on pulling themselves up by their bootstraps because the government doesn't owe them anything. But apparently we DO owe white coal miners and assembly line workers their jobs back because remember, out of work white men are "salt of the earth" while out of work people of color are lazy.

Yeah, to hell with that. Why aren't we asking white people to aspire to more? Maybe white West Virginians should demand something better than shitty mine jobs that give them black lung and kill them by 55. Maybe they should aim for higher than doing the same thing their great-grandaddy did...notice, people of color strive to better their situation from generation to generation, but we're supposed to praise white rural folks when they don't? And we condemn BLACK culture for being pathological and dysfunctional? Hell, no black parent back in the day ever said "I really hope that my grandchildren are doing the same thing I'm doing, because 'tradition'!" But it appears that's how some white folks think, and the rest of us are supposed to applaud that as heartwarming Americana, or evidence of strong families, or some such thing.

Make no mistake, we should make sure that everyone has access to remunerative employment or a guaranteed wage or guaranteed food/shelter and medicine. So I'm not saying we turn our backs on these white folks. We DO owe them for a lifetime of service in dangerous professions. But we have no obligation to pander to their desire to do anachronistic jobs just because they want them. Some jobs just aren't coming back, and some jobs shouldn't come back even if they could, given the ecological and health-related costs. These folks are no more entitled to "the way things were" than horse and buggy operators, or the folks who once worked in a typewriter ribbon plant, or the Liquid Paper factory. White male entitlement and expectationalism are what drive this white rage and Trumpist bullshit, and we need not indulge it for one more minute...

it is long past the time when white men are going to have to learn something that folks of color have always known: nothing is certain and nothing can be taken for granted; life is about change and disruption. And the minute you get comfortable and sleep on the way the world works, is the minute you go under. The privilege of not having to KNOW that -- and a long damned time ago -- is what has so many white folks shook right now.

The Ban

Most of this is from an old fellow Kitty Hawk sailor, Michael D. Lawrence.
He has nailed it well. I just wanted to keep it for good reference.
Scroll down to the five points, if nothing else.

This is from Michael.
As far as caring for others, I would suggest that it is not an "either or" situation. We can care for our own AND care for others simultaneously. When another nation suffers a disaster of some sort, we don't say "We'll help you as soon as we finish taking care of our own problems". No, we do both. And sometimes that means we sacrifice. I can care for my own family AND help out a stranger in need. As far as the risk posed by immigrants, there is always some risk in helping others to escape the threat to life that exists in their current situation.

We can accept refugees AND still not have to fear that some immigrant that looks, dresses, speaks, or worships differently than us is going to kill us and try to destroy America. There has always been a fear of immigrants and we have tried to stop them coming to America. The Chinese, the Catholics, the Jews, the Irish, the Mexicans, etc., etc., It's true there are extremists that see America as their enemy, and we should indeed take measures to ensure we don't allow them to come to America (although no process will be perfect and there will always be a chance of someone wanting to do harm to slip through). As it stands, the process for someone to come to America from the nations that the recent executive order intended to stop takes from 1 1/2 to 2 years to clear them for entry. If we feel it's necessary to make that process even more stringent, then we can do that. But clearly the way that EO tried to do so did not work and another process will need to be tried

There are at least five enormous differences between Trump’s executive order and what the Obama administration did.

1. Much narrower focus. The Obama administration conducted a review in 2011 of the vetting procedures applied to citizens of a single country (Iraq) and then only to refugees and applicants for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), created by Congress to help Iraqis (and later Afghans) who supported the United States in those conflicts. The Trump executive order, on the other hand, applies to seven countries with total population more than 130 million and to virtually every category of immigrant other than diplomats, including tourists and business travelers.

2. Not a ban. Contrary to Trump’s statement and the repeated claims of his defenders, the Obama administration did not “ban visas for refugees from Iraq for six months.” For one thing, refugees don’t travel on visas. More importantly, while the flow of Iraqi refugees slowed significantly during the Obama administration’s review, refugees continued to be admitted to the United States during that time, and there was not a single month in which no Iraqis arrived here. In other words, while there were delays in processing, there was no outright ban.

3. Grounded in specific threat. The Obama administration’s 2011 review came in response to specific threat information, including the arrest in Kentucky of two Iraqi refugees, still the only terrorism-related arrests out of about 130,000 Iraqi refugees and SIV holders admitted to the United States. Thus far, the Trump administration has provided no evidence, nor even asserted, that any specific information or intelligence led to its draconian order.

4. Orderly, organized process. The Obama administration’s review was conducted over roughly a dozen deputies and principals committee meetings, involving cabinet and deputy cabinet-level officials from all of the relevant departments and agencies — including the State, Homeland Security, and Justice departments — and the intelligence community. The Trump executive order was reportedly drafted by White House political officials and then presented to the implementing agencies after the fact. This is not just bad policymaking practice; it led directly to the confusion, bordering on chaos, that has attended implementation of the order by agencies that could only start asking questions (such as: “Does this apply to green card holders?”) once the train had left the station.

5. Far stronger vetting today. Much has been made of Trump’s call for “extreme vetting” for citizens of certain countries. The entire purpose of the Obama administration’s 2011 review was to enhance the already stringent vetting to which refugees and SIV applicants were subjected. While many of the details are classified, those rigorous procedures, which lead to waiting times of 18-24 months for many Iraqi and Syrian refugees, remain in place today and are continually reviewed by interagency officials. The Trump administration is, therefore, taking on a problem that has already been (and is continually being) addressed.

The Bottom line is: No immigration vetting system is perfect, no matter how “extreme.” President Obama often said his highest priority was keeping Americans safe. In keeping with America’s tradition and ideals, he also worked to establish a vetting system that worked more fairly and efficiently, particularly for refugees who are, by definition, in harm’s way. President Trump should defend his approach on its merits, if he can. We should not compare it to his predecessor’s.

The Trump administration wants us to be fearful. This is precisely how all authoritarian regimes of the past have controlled the people and forced their agenda through. That fear divides us and leads to distrust and hatred for each other. I would suggest that we not fall prey to these fear tactics that we have seen so many, many times in history.

This is from me:
As to the Ban? my thought is that it was conducted so utterly sloppily, by people who are not detail oriented but just wanted to make a big bang. Working on fear.

It screwed up a lot of good people who had already been thoroughly, effectively, vetted, and or had been contributing to our nation's welfare, it just affected a lot of people it shouldn't have. You would be hollering if you were walking in the moccasins of some of them.

There was already a thorough vetting process, rigorous and taking a long time, being used.

As to those from south of the border: Rubio's plan was ions more humane. But the current administration cares not who they hurt. You will see. I have never seen the like.


Steve Heller - captured for reference

Just glanced at the CNN news notifications on my iPad and they were as follows:

1:46pm: President Trump has "full confidence" in national security advisor Michael Flynn, according to top adviser Kellyanne Conway.

2:51pm: In new statement Sean Spicer says President Trump is "evaluating the situation" around security adviser Michael Flynn.

7:04pm: Source: DOJ warned Trump administration that Michael Flynn was potentially vulnerable to blackmail from Russia.

8:56pm: Michael Flynn has resigned as President Trump's national security adviser, two sources tell CNN.

Interesting and turbulent times, indeed.

Fake news

Mark Kellner, a very ethical Christian journalist, brought this forward. It attracted some wonderful comments, Fake news sites. People I know - "friends", etc. are reading these things, yellow journalism, twisted perceptions from semi factual things, opinionated sites, and they believe them.
Mark himself commented how he discerns whether a site is probably fake or not.

A lady posted about the fake news pictures, those slanderous photo shopped things that lead us into incorrect conclusions about people and their connections.

I have a few, but pre-election I was finding that the fake sites were getting way more sophisticated and difficult to identify. For example, the ones that claim to be a city newspaper and seriously look legit.

Mark A. Kellner said: I first look at the name of the alleged "news source." If it sounds off or unfamiliar, I will try to find out more on the website, such as an "about us" page. A disclaimer reading, in effect, "We mix truth and fiction because we think it's funny" might be found there.

Second, I use a common-sense test: It is highly unlikely that Hillary Clinton has a mansion on an island in the Indian Ocean, or that Pope Francis would "endorse" Donald Trump. If a claim seems too outlandish to be true, I try to find that claim on a (generally) reliable website such as The New York Times or Washington Post or BBC News. This isn't perfect, but it's a bit of a safeguard.

Finally, any news site that has ".com.co" in its URL, such as "abcnews.com.co" can generally be assumed to be totally false; someone — or some ones — somewhere have stolen a bunch of identities and set them up as ".com.co," with stories about as genuine as a $3 bill.

Those are my initial thoughts. Hope that helps!

Trudy J. Morgan-Cole said: " I actually teach a lesson on this in my Gr 11 English class -- telling real news from fake news -- although I think with the current spate of stories regarding the prevalence of fake news during the US election campaign, I may need to update it. Sketchy URLs are definitely something to watch for. Applying the test of "this is so incredible, why wouldn't a mainstream news source report it?" is usually good too, as you noted, Mark. Another good one is looking for multiple sources. If you google the news "story" and every hit you get is the same news story word for word, then they're all copied from a single source, which means there's no independent verification of it. And, of course, looking at disclaimers and the other stories carried on a particular site is important too."

Donald Hostetler said:  "I apply similar tests when deciding whether to click. That's why I read the Huffington Post's "Bernie Sanders Could Replace President Trump With Little-Known Loophole" - and discovered it was designed to attract readers and expose fake news."

http://www.fakenewswatch.com/

https://www.facebook.com/notes/melody-d-snow/spotting-fake-photos/1841504869397134

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/11/16/fake-news-first-casualty-trump-election/PcPpY0tL7t6BqoUWGf5yJL/story.html?s_campaign#comments

Simple Man's Story of Hanukah

This is the simplification, extracted from a couple places.

First, here is a link to a messianic page which provides great detail. The detail is entangled with the issue of the Jews resisting the Hellenization pushed by the Greek-Syrians of the day.  I think it's worth reading, although all detail may not be perfectly agreeable. (Most of it should be.)
 http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Winter_Holidays/Chanukah/Spiritual_Warfare/spiritual_warfare.html

Now for the "simplification".

Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods.
The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication,”. It celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple.  Also spelled Hanukkah, it is pronounced with a guttural, “kh” sound, kha-nu-kah, not tcha-new-kah.

In the second century BCE, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs.

A small band of faithful Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, engaged in a successful trhee-year guerrilla warfare campaign against their oppressors, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, culminating in the cleansing and rededication of the temple.

They found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks.

Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

The influence of the Hellenists (people who accepted idol-worship and the Syrian way of life) was increasing. Yochanan, the High Priest, foresaw the danger to Judaism from the penetration of Syrian-Greek influence into the Holy Land.

Yochanan was therefore opposed to any attempt on the part of the Jewish Hellenists to introduce Greek and Syrian customs into the land. The Hellenists hated him. One of them told the King’s commissioner that in the treasury of the Temple there was a great deal of wealth.

The wealth in the treasury consisted donated operating, maintenance, and orphans’ funds (held until orphans came of age). Seleucus sent his minister Helyodros to take the money from the treasury of the Temple.

As Helyodros entered the gate of the Temple, he became pale with fright, fainted and fell to the ground. After he came to, he did not dare enter again.

Josephus referred to the commemoration of the Maccabees as an eight day "festival of lights". Hillel said we should light one candle on the first night and increase the amount by one every day. Shammai thought we should light eight candles on the first night and reduce one every subsequent night.

Early tradition has it that since the Maccabees were unable to celebrate Sukkot in the fall, they should observe it after the Temple was restored (25th of the month of Kislev -lunar calendar) in the year 164 B.C.  Since Sukkot lasts eight days, this became the time frame for Clhanukah.

Immediately after the various festivals of the Jewish year are enumerated in Leviticus 23, the commandment was given to "bring clear oil from hand-crushed olives to keep the menorah burning constantly" (Lev. 24:1-2).

Years after the Maccabean revolt, Yeshua celebrated Chanukah in the same temple.

During the Feast of Dedication (Chanukah) Yeshua was "walking in the Temple in the colonnade of Solomon" (John 10:22-24).